Salvaje Amor
by Spunky0ne
Summary: A young Byakuya and Shima Kuruishimi rescue Byakuya's cousin, Tetsuya from an illegal noble's prison, but can they keep Tetsuya and his baby safe from the evil intent of the ones who imprisoned Tetsuya's family because of their mix of noble blood and commoner...yaoi, mpreg...Kurushimi/Tetsuya, Gin/Byakuya and some Aizen/Gin later.
1. Uncaged

**Salvaje Amor**

**By Spunky0ne**

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**(This one is a new version of a fic I began for Shima-taicho31, but has been reworked and the plot slightly altered. Pairings for the story are Gin/Byakuya and Kurushimi/Tetsuya with some Aizen/Gin later.)**

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**Chapter 1: Uncaged**

Twenty-year-old Shima Kurushimi moved on silent feet through the woods on the edges of Rukongai East Fifty-Third District, avoiding the open spaces and extending his senses carefully. He picked up immediately the touches of hidden reiatsu, markers left to guide him to the assigned meeting place. His turquoise eyes scanned the area around him carefully as he moved forward. But as careful as he was, he almost missed the presence of the concealed Kuchiki heir. The eighteen-year-old Kuchiki prince, scowled as Kuri joined him.

"You're late," he hissed softly, "We have received word that my cousin has been scheduled for execution in the morning. We are out of time. We have to extract him now."

"We should have gotten him and the others out weeks ago," Kuri complained softly, crouching down in the bushes at Byakuya's side and peering ahead of them to where he sensed the hidden prison, just ahead of them, "I don't trust that immoral snake you used to infiltrate."

"I do not completely trust Orochi either," Byakuya agreed, "but he comes from a family that has a reputation for opposing inclusion of mixed bloods in the family. He was credible enough to be accepted by the ones running the hidden prison."

"He is also a little beast!" Kuri said, shaking his head in disapproval, "Are you sure he won't give us away?"

"He won't give us away," Byakuya assured the young Shima leader, "but he may make some shifty moves, so be on your guard."

"I would never lower my guard while ten feet from that snake!"

"Hmm," Byakuya said thoughtfully, "That's the thing about snakes. What makes them deadly is how they sneak up on you. Be cautious."

"You as well," Kuri answered, moving off to his right and focusing his attention on the dark stone fortress that loomed ahead of them.

For a time, the only sounds were light breezes that moved the tree limbs overhead, and the soft occasional scrape of sandal on the dirt. The rescue team waited in tense silence until, in the distance, a light flared in one of the windows and was covered and uncovered three times in quick succession.

"That is the signal!" Byakuya hissed, "Everyone remember your assignments. Archers will take out the guards in the towers now. Go!"

A group of men hurried forward into the darkness.

"As soon as the guards are down, kido group, destroy the gates!"

A group of men moved forward, breathing soft chants and building their power. The soft hissing of arrows sounded in front of the assault group, then heavy blasts rocked the fortress, shattering the front gates and making screams and shouts sound from within.

"Get to the prisoners, quickly!" Byakuya shouted, drawing his sword and flash stepping forward with Kuri at his side. The two burst into the courtyard, watching for a moment as a group engaged the guards that had responded to the explosions, then flash stepping past them and breaking into the main entry of the stone prison. Byakuya and Kuri loosed heavy blasts of kido, then slashed at the guards blocking the entrances to the two large cell blocks.

"You take the right! I'll go to the left!" Byakuya shouted, taking several men with him as Kuri shot forward with several behind him. Screams and explosions filled the cell block, emanating from the far end as Kuri and the others raced forward.

"_Bastardos_!" Kuri exclaimed, "They are killing the prisoners! Get them!"

Echoing grunts and shouts mingled with sounds of collision and intermittent explosions that rocked the area, sending pebbles and dust raining down on the rescuers and the guards. Kuri spotted a dark-haired guard about to fire a blast into one of the cells, and he flash stepped wildly, taking the man down and ending his assault with a heavy slash of his sword that separated the guard's head from his body. He turned and broke the lock on the cell, noting that the other rescuers were herding prisoners out of the cells a short distance back, and leading them along the safe corridor that had been created. Turning his head back, he saw a small movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Look out, sir!" a youthful voice warned him, "Behind you!"

Kuri put his sword through the attacker, then looked around and found himself alone with the two prisoners that were still locked in their cell. One looked to be a teen boy with a mess of matted black hair who leaned over a second, collapsed teen with brown hair.

"Naoki!" the black haired boy howled, "Naoki, please get up! I smell fire!"

Kuri bent over the fallen boy, his breath freezing as he realized that the youth was already dead. He looked up to speak to the boy's companion, then froze as he encountered a pair of large, dark sapphire eyes that were disbelieving and filling with tears.

"Naoki?" he repeated in a shaky voice.

"_Lo siento_," Kuri said sadly, "There is nothing that can be done. Your friend has passed."

"No!" the blue-eyed boy sobbed, shaking the dead boy desperately, "No, he can't be…N-Naoki?"

"Come," Kuri said softly, moving closer and wrapping an arm around the teen, "It isn't safe here anymore. We must meet with Byakurai and the others."

The teen took two gulping breaths and shook his head.

"I won't leave without Naoki! He is…he was…married to me!"

Kuri looked more closely as he helped the boy to his feet, and his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the teen's enlarged abdomen.

"Y-you are…one of the breeder males?" he asked.

The sobbing youth nodded.

"They found out," he explained, wiping his eyes, "and I was going to be killed in the morning. If you hadn't come, Naoki would be alive and I would be the one dead!"

"Don't think that way," Kuri chided him, slipping the cloak off of his shoulders and wrapping it around the teen, "Now, what is your name?"

"T-tetsuya," the youth answered, "Kuchiki Tetsuya. But I am not allowed to use my father's surname. So, it is just Tetsuya."

Kuri gave him a gentle smile.

"And I am Shima Kurushimi, leader of the Shima clan. Come with me, Kuchiki Tetsuya," he said kindly, "I will bring your husband."

He lifted Naoki into his arms and started to lead Tetsuya in the direction that the others had gone. Just as they reached the doorway leading out of the cell block, a huge blast rumbled through the area, shaking the floor under them and sending heavy rock crashing down in front of them. Kuri turned and shielded Tetsuya carefully, backing him away from the blocked exit.

"Is there another way out?" Kuri asked hastily.

"N-no, we are trapped!" Tetsuya said frantically, panting and gasping softly as a pain radiated through his abdomen.

Kuri read the look on his face and inhaled sharply.

"Dìos mio, can anything else go wrong?" he muttered, holding Naoki over his shoulder and wrapping the other arm around Tetsuya. They backed away as more of the area began to collapse.

"What can we do?" Tetsuya cried, "There is no way out and the fire is coming in!"

"We will do what we must, Tetsu-hana!" Kuri said, laying Naoki down and extending a hand, "Get behind me!"

Tetsuya pressed up against Kuri's back, hiding his face in the back of the young man's shoulder as Kuri sent a destructive kido ball flying at the nearby wall, then pulled Tetsuya down, covering the teen's body with his own. Tetsuya screamed as more rock fell all around them, crashing down so closely that he could feel the breeze the stone made as it fell. As soon as he spotted an opening, Kuri gathered up Naoki's body and pulled Tetsuya to his feet.

"Run!"

Tetsuya stumbled forward, holding onto Kuri's hand and looking around fearfully for any sign of the guards. They broke free of the prison area and took cover in the woods, at the side of a little brook. Tetsuya shivered and his blue eyes continued to dart around as he pressed up against his caramel skinned rescuer. Kuri extended his senses, scanning the area carefully before setting Naoki's body down under a tree and taking a closer look at Tetsuya.

"Are you hurt, Tetsu-hana?" he asked, lifting the cloak he had given Tetsuya and looking him over.

"I d-don't think so," Tetsuya said shakily, "B-but my stomach hurts. I have been having pains all day. K-kurushimi-sama, I…I think I am…in labor!"

"Oh no," Kuri chided him, "You cannot do that here. It is just…preliminary pains, no? You don't mean you are going to have the baby right here. I haven't even finished rescuing you!"

"W-well, it doesn't look like the baby is going to wait! It hurts, Kurushimi-sama! Please, help me!"

Kuri looked around anxiously, swallowing hard as a sudden memory flashed in his mind.

"_It hurts, Kuri!" Hideaki panted harshly, "It hurts so much I c-can't breathe!"_

"Kurushimi-sama?" Tetsuya said, his teeth chattering, "I feel dizzy."

"Ah…come and lie down," Kuri directed him, helping to ease him onto his back.

He knelt at Tetsuya's side, leaning over him to lay hands on the pronounced bump on his abdomen. A more powerful memory returned as he felt the presence and strength of the baby's reiatsu.

"_Breathe, my love!" he sobbed, squeezing Hideaki's ominously limp hand as his sister delivered a shock of kido to the younger man's stilled heart, "Hideaki!"_

"Just try to breathe slowly," Kuri said, holding Tetsuya's icy and horribly thin and bony hand, "The baby is coming now. You see?"

He motioned to where a bright golden light was beginning to emanate from Tetsuya's swollen belly, then moved into position to capture the baby's reiatsu.

"I d-don't feel s-so well, Kurushimi-s-sama," Tetsuya said weakly.

_He has been underfed for a long time, and kept in a cold, dark cell. The poor thing is in no condition for this, and I am sure he knows it._

"Kurush-shimi-s-sama," Tetsuya said haltingly, "I…I don't th-think I'm going to…"

"Don't talk like that, Tetsu-hana," Kuri scolded him gently, "Hold onto my hand and think only of what it will be like to hold your baby."

"But, I…Kurushimi-sama, I…I cannot breathe very well. Please, if I am not…if I don't…please call my baby after his father…and-and please t-take care of my child!"

"Stop talking like that!" Kuri snapped, reeling as Tetsuya's face began to confuse itself with Hideaki's in his anxious mind, "You must concentrate on our baby, Hideaki!"

Tetsuya blinked in confusion and Kuri caught his mistake.

"T-tetsu-hana," he corrected himself, "You must focus only on your baby. Don't leave your baby. Don't leave me alone, okay? Just stay here with me!"

Tetsuya panted harder, moaning in distress as the light in his belly grew more powerful, and very slowly, a large ball of golden reiatsu began to emerge.

"Here comes your baby, Tetsu-hana!" Kuri breathed, staring.

_This is what never happened for Hideaki and me,_ Kuri mused inwardly, _Hideaki died as he gave birth, and our child was lost. I never thought I would be here, watching this joven hermosa who has been locked away and abused give birth like this. This is…_

He captured the baby's reiatsu in his hands, tears leaking onto his face as the infant's body resolved into a tiny pink bundle with a shock of wild brown hair and Tetsuya's large, gentle sapphire eyes.

"Tetsu-hana!" he managed in a choked whisper, "Tetsu-hana, he is beautiful! You have a lovely baby boy! Congratulations!"

Happy tears ran down Tetsuya's face, and his expression remained serene, even as he quivered oddly and began to close his damp eyes.

"Tetsu-hana!" Kuri cried, "Tetsu-hana, don't do this! Do not leave your baby alone! Tetsu-hana, you must breathe!"

He quickly removed his black top and used it to warmly swaddle the infant, then he set the baby carefully next to the tree and leaned over Tetsuya again, placing one hand over his heart and one on the side of his body.

"Tetsu-hana!" he shouted, "You are not leaving!"

He shocked the teen's body with a swift release of kido, striking once and waiting for a moment, then feeding him a few quick breaths before trying again.

"Tetsu-hana!" he cried, massaging his chest and giving him more breaths, "Tetsu-hana, stay with me!"

He heard running feet approaching and raised his hand defensively, preparing to employ a destructive kido.

"Wait! Don't attack us! We're here to help," Byakuya's voice called out.

The Kuchiki heir flash stepped to where Kuri leaned over Tetsuya and dropped onto his knees at the teen's side.

"This is _him_," Kuri said with certainty, "This is the cousin you told me about. I found him in a cell. He and his husband were attacked and the dead boy over there lost his life protecting your Tetsu-hana."

"He was married to that boy?" Byakuya asked, frowning, "Well, he was said to be eighteen. It is old enough for marriage."

"I doubt it was an official marriage," Kuri surmised, "but it was real to him. They made this baby together. Will you hold him? Tetsu-hana asked me to name him Naoki, after his husband."

Byakuya picked up the weakly crying baby boy and held him against a warm shoulder.

"There now," he said soothingly, "Tetsuya will be all right."

"I have a heartbeat now and he is breathing again," Kuri said shakily, "But he almost died during the birth."

Byakuya watched as Kuri looked down at Tetsuya's filthy, tormented face and brushed several tangled strands of black hair away from his face.

"What he must have gone through…and pregnant…"

"We will take care of him now," Byakuya promised, "Bring him. I will carry his child."

He glanced over his shoulder, where several other men had arrived.

"Sadao, will you please bring Tetsuya's husband?" he asked, "We will need to arrange for his burial."

"S-sir, are you sure?" Sadao asked, "A family burial?"

"Tetsuya is the son of my father's favored cousin, Takao," Byakuya insisted, "and this boy was witnessed by Shima Kurushimi, saving Tetsuya's life, as well as this baby's. He is to be honored with a family burial. I know that my grandfather will approve."

"That is…very kind of you, Byakuya-sama," Sadao said, studying Tetsuya's face sympathetically, "Poor thing. He must have been terrified."

"We will take him to Kuchiki Manor," Byakuya decided, "I will have Unohana taicho meet us there."

Sadao lifted Naoki carefully, looking down at the deceased youth regretfully as he joined Byakuya and Kurushimi, and the group headed back to Kuchiki Manor.

"What happened inside that caused you to be separated from us?" Byakuya asked Kuri, "It took us a long time to find you."

"I was carrying his Naoki out and Tetsu-hana was on foot and struggling to walk. There was an explosion and we were trapped inside. I broke the wall with Kido and we forced our way out. When we got outside and to the trees, Tetsu-hana went into labor and the baby was born. Tetsu-hana was in distress."

"He is fortunate that you were with him," Byakuya said, sounding relieved, "Shima Kurushimi, I am indebted to you for saving my cousin and his child."

"It was nothing," Kuri sighed wearily, "I wanted badly to save him."

"Yes," Byakuya said solemnly, "This has to have hit close to home for you."

"Yes," Kuri agreed.

They proceeded more quietly, carrying their charges through the Rukongai and into the Seireitei, where Byakuya turned them towards his home. They hurried to the manor gates and were waved on by the house guards. Byakuya handed the baby off to an aged clan healer, calling for several more to accompany him to a guest room that was near his own chamber.

"Put him in here," Byakuya told Kuri, "And the rest of you, I want a full assessment of his condition and start any treatment that he needs.

Kuri laid Tetsuya in the bed and stood back, watching as the healers tended him. Byakuya read the anxious look on the Shima leader's face and stood back with him as the healers worked.

"You know, you do not have to stay, Shima Kurushimi," he said bracingly, "This must be distressing to you, given your recent loss. I assure you, Tetsuya will receive the best of care here. I will be happy to update you on his condition as he progresses."

"Thank you, but…I think I will stay," Kuri decided, "At very least, I should see how the baby is doing. Tetsu-hana asked me to look after him…to make sure he is named after his father, and if anything happens to Tetsu-hana, he asked me to care for the child."

"You know you do not have to do that," Byakuya assured him, "Tetsuya and his child are in good hands. You know our healers are among the best in the Seireitei."

"Yes," Kuri agreed, "But I think I will only sleep better if I am sure that Tetsu-hana and his child are all right."

Byakuya couldn't quite hold back a curious smile.

"You become attached very quickly, Shima Kurushimi," he commented, "You have only met Tetsuya today."

"I know," Kuri agreed, "But…I feel as though we have known each other for a long time."


	2. Symbol of Our Love

**Chapter 2: Symbol of our Love**

Kuri sat quietly at Tetsuya's bedside, cradling the younger man's infant in his arms and gazing down at him adoringly as the baby grabbed at the bottle with shaky hands, his large blue eyes blinking slowly as he fed contentedly.

_I might have worried that I would be possessed by past memories, trying to do this for Tetsu-hana, but I can feel nothing but pure love as I look at this baby's sweet face._

"Good boy, Nao-nao," he said approvingly, "Eat well and grow strong. You want to make Tetsu-hana proud."

He glanced down at Tetsuya's freshly washed, dressed and comfortably sleeping form, admiring sadly the lovely waves of untangled black hair and remembering the beautiful blue eyes that matched his baby son's. The bottle's nipple slipped out of Naoki's mouth and he whimpered and grabbed at the bottle again.

"Ah, here now," Kuri chuckled, repositioning the bottle so that the boy could latch on, "That's right."

He looked up and smiled in greeting as the Kuchiki clan's elder healer and Tetsuya's assigned attendant entered the room together and made their way to the young man's bedside. Kuri attended closely as the healer examined Tetsuya thoroughly, then loosed a soft, worried sigh.

"Has he shown any signs of waking?" Michio asked in a concerned tone.

"None," Kuri said sadly, "He has not moved except to breathe. But he was injured and also abused and neglected by his captors, so he needs to rest, no?"

"He does need rest," Michio agreed, "but I would feel more confident of his chances if he regained consciousness soon."

"His chances?" Kuri repeated, noticing suddenly that Kuchiki Koji looked to have been crying recently, "You have doubts that he will survive, even now?"

Michio sighed wearily.

"He has been malnourished and badly abused. His body has been subjected to frequent beatings and sexual assaults. He was further damaged during his escape from the prison and the taxing reiatsu swells during the delivery of his child have brought him to the brink. We are seeing too much of this among the ones we freed. Several have died since the raid, and several more are like Tetsuya-kun, unconscious with no assurance they will wake. I am sorry, Kurushimi-sama. I wish I had better news to give you."

Kuri met the infant boy's blue eyes for a moment, then looked back at the healer, frowning.

"He just needs to know there is reason for living," Kuri insisted, "I have seen men in far worse shape survive. Tetsu-hana will pull through. He is stronger than he looks. He proved that in his escape. Also, he has this lovely baby to wake up to. We will wake him, won't we, _mijo_?"

Koji and Michio exchanged sympathetic glances and the healer cleared his throat softly.

"Your determination to help him is admirable, Kurushimi-sama," he said approvingly, "And Koji, too, is very motivated to help Tetsuya-kun heal. With the two of you watching over him, I am sure that he will respond to the treatment soon and wake. I will be back to check on him in a little while. Koji-kun, please send for me immediately if there are any changes."

"I will," Koji assured him.

Kuri watched as Michio left, then observed as Koji bent over his unconscious ward, tucking the blankets more comfortably around him, then squeezing Tetsuya's hand gently.

"Please wake up soon," he pleaded softly, "Tetsuya-san, we are all so worried about you!"

Kuri smiled encouragingly, holding the baby out for Koji to capture and hold in his slightly shaking arms. Unbidden tears filled Koji's gentle green eyes and one leaked down his face.

"They don't deserve this, Kurushimi-sama," Koji half-sobbed, cuddling the baby close against his shoulder, "The prisoners are innocent people who were torn from their lives and subjected to horrible things! I heard Byakuya-sama say some of the evidence they found…of how they were laid in small holes in the cellar of the prison as punishment, and covered so that they could still breathe, but so that they couldn't see the light."

Koji paused, choking on a hard, silent sob.

"It's awful!" he managed, sniffing and rubbing his eyes.

"It is," Kuri agreed, tickling Naoki's cheek, "I don't blame you for your tears. Truly, that place was wicked. But even though it has had its way with Tetsu-hana, we will heal him, and then you and I will teach this _joven hermosa_ that there are good people in the world who will always stand by him and protect him from ever suffering like that again."

"We will!" Koji resolved, brushing away fresh tears.

"_Bueno_," Kuri said approvingly, "Now, why don't you put Nao-nao down for his nap?"

"Nao-nao?" Koji laughed, blinking away the remains of his tears, "Kurushimi-sama, your nicknames are so funny!"

""What?" Kuri mused, feigning a lack of comprehension, "Nicknames are more personal. It helps me remember people more clearly, Ko-ko-kun."

"Of course, sir," Koji smiled.

The two were suddenly distracted from their conversation as Byakuya entered the room, still in his nightclothes and wearing a warm robe and soft slippers on his feet.

"How did Tetsuya fare during the night?" the youth inquired, "He seemed restless when I visited before."

"He slept fitfully, but seemed to calm some as the night passed," Koji reported, "Michio is just very worried because he hasn't regained consciousness yet. He is terribly weak and struggling."

"Yes," Byakuya said sadly, "I see."

"But," Koji said, brightening, "Kurushimi-sama has been so kind, sitting at his side and caring for Naoki-chan."

"It was nothing," Kuri said off-handedly, "Tetsu-hana asked me to look after the boy for him. That is all."

Byakuya gave him a skeptical smile.

"You are taking his request quite literally," he commented, accepting the baby from Koji and smiling gently down at him, "But I do welcome the assistance. Whatever we can do to help Tetsuya heal and thrive."

"Well, I don't think he'll be thriving right away," Kuri mused, "but we would settle for waking. Your healer is very worried. Deripie was here last night, and she had the same impression."

"Hmm," Byakuya said, glancing at the attendant and carefully laying the baby in his arms again, "Koji, please make sure that Shima Kurushimi has a guest room at his disposal."

"Yes, Byakuya-sama."

Byakuya sat down at Tetsuya's side and took one of Tetsuya's hands in his, while Kuri captured and gently caressed the other. Koji joined them, laying the baby so that he was snuggled in Tetsuya's arm. Naoki cooed contentedly, his little fingers playing with the soft folds of Tetsuya's yukata. To everyone's surprise, Tetsuya moved slightly and opened his eyes, looking first at his son, then struggling to focus on the people around him.

"B-byakuya-s-sama?" he whispered weakly, his voice shaking, "K-kurushimi-sama? This…this is my N-naoki?"

"It is," Kuri confirmed, "Don't you remember. You were conscious when he was born."

"I, ah, asked you to l-look after him," Tetsuya managed, "and you have. Arigato, K-kurushimi-sama."

"Please, call me Kuri," the caramel skinned man requested, "I have cared for your baby, and I will continue to do so until you are well."

Tears rose in Tetsuya's eyes, spilling onto his flushed cheeks.

"I…I don't know if I will get well," he said honestly.

"Tetsu-hana, don't speak that way," Kuri chided him, "Of course you will get well, and in no time, you will be caring for this precious one, yourself."

"I don't know if I should," Tetsuya said, his voice breaking, "I don't know anything about babies. There were no books and my mother and father were dead. Even Naoki only knew a little, and the healer didn't have time to really explain about what to do when the baby was born. He was more concerned w-with us just staying alive. I want to stay. I love my little Naoki."

Tetsuya brought a shaky hand to the boy's cheek and Naoki squawked and tried to grab his fingers. A little smile graced Tetsuya's face and he started to drift off again.

"K-kuri-sama," he breathed unsteadily, "I…t-trust you will keep your promise and raise my s-son if I die?"

"You are not going to die," Kuri insisted, warming Tetsuya's damp cheek with a curved palm, "You did not remain strong all of this time, just to die now, when you have earned your freedom."

"I n-never knew what freedom felt like," Tetsuya whispered, his voice fading, "I am glad that I got to feel it just this once."

"You will feel this every day," Byakuya said firmly, "for the rest of your life. Tetsuya, we will teach you everything you need to know and you will have a beautiful life now."

Tetsuya's smile weakened and his arm shook ominously where he had it wrapped around his son.

"Even in Itamigiri, there were some beautiful things," he mumbled sleepily, "my Naoki, little flowers, small breaths of fresh air and…s-some people who helped us. S-still, it is all very beautiful, now that I reached your world, Byakuya-sama. There is so much beauty, it makes me cry. And everyone is kind to me. It is…like a story Naoki told me about heaven. I'm not afraid at all. I am warm. I feel loved."

"Love is all around you," Kuri promised, squeezing Tetsuya's hand, "You must cling to that. It is your will that will save you, Tetsu-hana. Your will is strong. It is the part of you that kept you alive through everything. It will help you survive now. Focus on your baby. He needs you."

"Naoki has you," Tetsuya breathed more faintly, "You are kind, Kuri-sama. You will be a good father."

"Tetsu-hana…" Kuri said, blinking at the burning he had begun to feel in his eyes.

The three watched sadly as Tetsuya kissed Naoki on the head, then drifted off again.

"Koji," Byakuya said quietly, "please take Naoki to the nursery."

"Yes, Byakuya-sama," Koji answered, carefully extracting the baby and carrying him out of the room.

Byakuya gazed down at his cousin through worried eyes, touching Tetsuya's face and squeezing his hand comfortably.

"You should rest, Kurushimi," the heir commented, "I doubt you slept at all."

"Eh, how could I sleep anyway?" Kuri answered wearily, "It is in the quiet of darkness that I can only think of the husband I lost and I can only cry, then, not sleep."

"Then, go and lie in the guest bed, across the room for a while. I promise I will not leave Tetsuya's side until you return."

Kuri gave him a relieved smile.

"Just for a while," he agreed.

He rose and stumbled across the room, falling onto the bed and drifting off almost immediately.

_Kuri felt a soft hand caressing his face, and he opened his eyes to find himself lying on his back with his head placed in someone's lap. Bright sun hid the young man's face, but he knew instantly the hand that touched him._

"_Hideaki!" he whispered, tears welling up instantly._

"_Don't cry," his late husband whispered, "Look around you, my love, my Kuri. It is very beautiful here…and there no pain, no hatred, nothing but love. I am safe, Kuri. I wait here for you."_

_The wind shifted the branches of the tree behind Hideaki, bringing his comely face and gentle brown eyes into focus._

"_And look there," he said, reaching down to turn Kuri's head slightly. _

_Kuri's breath caught as he spotted Tetsuya's brown-haired lover, holding Tetsuya against him and kissing his sleeping face, whispering encouragement in soft, desperate urgings._

"_What is he doing?" Kuri asked, "That boy, Naoki. What is he doing to Tetsu-hana?"_

"_He is trying to help Tetsuya-kun survive," Hideaki explained, "Tetsuya-kun is on the edges of life, barely clinging. And it is you, Kuri, who helps him to live."_

"_I am not able to anything," Kuri objected, "Tetsu-hana has been unconscious for most of the time since he was freed. I don't know how to save him. He is so weak."_

"_His body is weak," Hideaki agreed, "but his spirit is strong. He wants to stay for his baby, but he wants also to cling to his lover, who has passed from life. Please, Kuri, you must help him to let Naoki go. Naoki will be here in this beautiful place, and he will wait for Tetsuya-kun, just as I wait for you. We will all meet again, I promise."_

"_I know we will," Kuri agreed._

"_Here now," Hideaki said, helping him to sit up, "Hold our baby for a moment."_

_Kuri froze as a tiny, lovely baby with Hideaki's mussed hair and Kuri's bright turquoise eyes was laid gently in his arms. Tears ran freely down his face as he kissed the infant's blushing cheeks and rocked him slowly._

"_He is perfect!" Kuri whispered, "I knew he would be like this."_

"_I call him Sora, as we wanted to," Hideaki explained, "You see, we are all right, Kuri. We are safe and we are waiting patiently while you live. But before you join us, you have important things to do. Please, return and help Tetsuya-kun to live."_

"_But…why?" Kuri asked, looking confused, "Why would you concern yourself with this boy you never knew in life?"_

_Hideaki smiled warmly._

"_We are all connected," he assured Kuri, "and I promise you that if you help Tetsuya-kun, he will grow very strong, and the two of you will do great things in that world. I want that for you! Please Kuri, go back and care for him. It will bring only good things."_

"_I will," Kuri promised, "but, my love, just a little longer, let me hold you and our child!"_

_He wrapped his arms around Hideaki and the cheerfully babbling infant, breathing in their sweet scents and crying soundlessly._

"_Please don't be sad, Kuri!" Hideaki pleaded, "We are okay. We must remain here because our lives have ended, but I told you we would wait for you!"_

"_I know. I know," Kuri whispered as his tears continued to fall, "I just miss you so much that it breaks my heart anew every day."_

"_You can always come back when you sleep," Hideaki reminded him, "But maybe shouldn't if it will only make you sad."_

"_Of course I will come and I will shed tears for you, my love," Kuri chided him, "You are always in my heart, and my heart aches for you. I will stay in that other world as I must, but I will miss you until I die and we are together again."_

"_Just please smile again, Kuri," Hideaki whispered, stroking his face and wiping his tears away, "Live a full life and…don't be afraid to love again."_

Kuri stirred and groaned, opening one turquoise eye and glaring at the clock on the nightstand before abandoning the bed and returning to where Byakuya sat quietly at Tetsuya's side.

"You did not sleep for very long," the Kuchiki heir commented.

"It was enough," Kuri said dismissively, "Sleeping is difficult when a person's losses are too fresh in his mind."

"Have you sought assistance from a healer? Your sister, perhaps?"

"Pfft!" Kuri huffed, "They just like to try to get me to talk about what is bothering me. I know what bothers me, and I know Hideaki is dead and he's not coming back. I don't need therapy to tell me what I already know, and I will deal with it in my own way, Byakurai."

Byakuya gave him a look of disapproval as Kuri pulled his flask out and took a deep swallow.

"I am sorry for your loss," Byakuya said more quietly, "Hideaki was a kind, gentle person. More the kind that seems right for you. Not at all like my cousin you were almost forced to marry."

"Sasune," Kuri said in a low, angry voice, "I know it was an affront to your clan, Byakurai, but there was no way that I could bind myself to a horror like that man. And your other cousin, Orochi, doesn't seem much better."

Byakuya gave him a conspiratorial look and leaned towards him.

"Did you know? I heard from another cousin I am close to that Sasune is an illegitimate son of Isas, Orochi's father!"

"Where did you hear that?" Kuri chuckled, "It must be real, I'm sure. They are both repulsive!"

"I will not argue with that," Byakuya sighed, "I am certainly not letting Orochi near Tetsuya. There is no conclusive proof as yet, but I sensed Orochi's reiatsu on Tetsuya. I just couldn't sense the nature of the contact the two might have had. Did Tetsuya tell you anything during his escape?"

"No," Kuri admitted, "but there was no time for conversation. Things happened very quickly."

Byakuya observed the Shima leader silently for a moment, watching as Kuri took another swallow from his flask and offered it to the Kuchiki heir. Byakuya hesitated for a moment, then took a sip and handed the flask back.

"The council was not pleased that I only informed them after the rescue," Byakuya confessed, "But to have said anything before would have compromised our safety and that of the prisoners."

"As it was, we lost a few, and your healer told me that some more have died."

"Yes," Byakuya sighed, "It was important to get the mixed blood prisoners out, but it is also disturbing that they are still imperiled, both by their illness and injuries, and that even overcoming that, they still face an uphill battle to prove their case to the elders."

"Forget proving anything," Kuri huffed, looking down at Tetsuya, "We need to keep them alive…and we need to protect them."

Byakuya considered his words carefully.

"I have been concerned about Tetsuya's protection," he said, after a few minutes, "I am taking on more responsibilities and I am not sure I can offer Tetsuya and his child proper protection. Tetsuya trusts you, and from what I see, you have become invested in his progress. That being said, I wish to ask you a favor."

"What do you want me to do?" Kuri inquired, frowning.

"Koji and Torio already know to keep Orochi and the elders away from Tetsuya, and they will manage that. What I would ask you for is assistance in helping Tetsuya to adjust. When he wakes, he will awaken to a world that he has had no contact with during his life. He will need Koji and you to help him adjust. Many things will be confusing for him. You know from marrying a peasant that Hideaki had a period of adjustment, and he depended on you for that."

"Yes," Kuri affirmed, "And Byakurai, I will help him, of course."

"And the baby as well?"

"Yes," Kuri promised, "It is comforting to be able to hold him and care for him. I know he is not mine, but…"

"He may become yours if Tetsuya does not survive," Byakuya said softly.

"What?" Kuri mused, giving him a surprised look, "You mean…you would…?"

"Tetsuya's instructions were clear. Should he die, he wants you to raise his child. I will honor that…unless you do not want that responsibility."

"I will not need to raise the child," Kuri said, shaking his head, "Tetsu-hana will survive…but if he did not, I would take the child in and raise him. But, Byakurai, you look as though there is more in your decision than it being your cousin's will."

"There is," Byakuya confessed wearily, "Kuri, I fear that without your protection, Tetsuya's child would be in constant danger from the ones who still support the poor treatment of mixed blood family members."

"You are saying that someone from your family would kill that lovely child?"

"Yes," Byakuya affirmed, "That is exactly what I am saying."


End file.
